l'Itc Folh-Tales u/ tlic Kiwiii Papiians. 469 



by the people, and Nâdegar took hold of his vvit'e. The crocodile was eut in pièces, and the 

 ground was red from ils blood („all same red calico"). The remains of the monster were burnt 

 in the fire. (Dåbu, Mavväta). 



432. A certain Burütu man once made a model alligator of wood providing it with 

 teeth, limbs, and a tail. When it was ready he placed it on the shore. He fastened a branch 

 of the gay-coloured loôpo-wood on to the crocodile's head. Next day he returned to the samc 

 place, chewed a leaf of the ibiiiia plant and spät the juice on to the crocodile, and the tail began 

 to move, and the Deast came into iife. As he spät again the limbs began to move, and finally 

 the crocodile opened its mouth. The man returned home without telling anybody what he had 

 done. Next morning the crocodile had gone into the water. When the man came to look, the 

 ht ad of the beast emerged out of the water, and it still carried the toôpo branch. The man said, 

 ,J you (your) father, you my pickaninny. You no catch me, I corne close to you." He caught 

 the crocodile by the tail. and the beast turned round in a circle without catching him. On 

 l'eturning home the man warned the people, „You no go swim, no go close to creek. Bj--and-by 

 alligator catch you." „Me fellow no can see that thing," the people said, „what kind that thing?" 

 For at that time the people did not know what crocodiles were. In the night one man went out 

 for a natural want carrying a torch, '* and as he sat down on the beach the crocodile caught him 

 and dragged him under water. He shrieked out, and the people ail came to look. „I been tell 

 you, you no go close to creek," the first man said. The victim of the crocodile never returned. 

 (Nâtai, Ipisia). 



433. Once a vvoman gave biith to a chiid, and in the night a crocodile scented her out, 

 came into her house and had connection with her. Then he took her in his mouth and carried 

 her away to his place in Dibiri where he left her with two old crocodiles who were his parents. 

 After that he went to Sagéru and caught three men whom he carried home in the same way, 

 and from other places he brought some more people. Up to that time there had been no people 

 in Dibiri but the crocodile wanted to populate the country- He also brought a canoë there for 

 the use of the people. Once on a journey to another place the crocodile was caught by a 

 monstrous bird which carried him to its nest in a tree. A young bird was sent to tell the 

 crocodile's parents what had happened to him, and when they came in their canoë to search for 

 him they were killed by the bird, and their canoë was broken in pièces. The present Di'biri 

 people dérive their origin from the man and woman brought thither by the crocodile. (Cf. no. 

 2 D; Avâti, Ipisi'a). 



THE REVENGE OF THE SLAIN OLD CROCODILE IN THE BINATURI RIVER. 



434. Long ago there lived in the Bi'natiiri river a famous crocodile called VVâbodame. 

 It used to sleep at a certain place on the left bank not far from Di'rimo. The size of of crocodile 

 was enormous. It was very old, for many people had lived and died in its time, but the rising 

 generation like their fathers learnt to fear the old reptile. When the joung crocodiles caught a 

 N:o 1. 



